Gentlemen, Slot Your Engines – WSJ.com

Last Sunday afternoon, Indy car racers Herman James, Roy Hood and George Russell were busy preparing their cars after qualifying 1-2-3. If you don’t recognize them as drivers who regularly compete alongside Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves or racing babe Danica Patrick, don’t fret. Messrs. James, Hood and Russell race on a much smaller scale: 1/24th to be exact.

The three men are part of the shrinking world of slot-car racing, which is gathered this week at Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies (www.slotcar1.com) in this leafy suburb west of Chicago. The event is the United Slot Racers Association’s Scale Division National Championships (the Wing-Car Division Nationals will be in Farmingville, N.Y., in late July).